Written by

Paul Delos Santos
Speaking of Sports

Softball players, like their baseball counterparts, are a superstitious bunch. Regardless if it's not washing a cap to wearing the same pair of socks, a player or coach will take the time to make sure these things are in place.

So as he watched as his beloved Snow Canyon team was struggling in a must-win game against Hurricane, Jesse Shipp pulled out an old memento - a pine cone taken from Vancouver, Wash., where he led this same group of softball players to a Little League World Series West Regional appearance.

After Brytni Gurney hit a three-run home run to cap a seven-run rally, Shipp walked over ...